Wild turkeys are large game birds native to North America. They can be found across the United States in 49 of the 50 states. The only state they are not found in is Alaska. Wild turkeys inhabit a variety of habitats including forests, fields, swamps and semi-arid deserts.
Eastern Wild Turkey
The eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) is one of five distinct subspecies of wild turkey in North America. It has the largest historical range, extending from southern Maine south through Florida and west to eastern Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Today, eastern wild turkeys have been reintroduced to areas across this range, although populations are no longer found in some parts of the Midwest.
Here is a list of states where eastern wild turkeys are found today:
| Alabama | Illinois | Missouri | New York |
| Arkansas | Indiana | New Hampshire | North Carolina |
| Connecticut | Iowa | New Jersey | Ohio |
| Delaware | Kansas | New Mexico | Oklahoma |
| Florida | Kentucky | North Dakota | Pennsylvania |
| Georgia | Louisiana | Maine | Rhode Island |
| Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | South Carolina |
| Minnesota | Mississippi | Nebraska | South Dakota |
| Tennessee | Texas | Vermont | Virginia |
| West Virginia | Wisconsin |
As you can see, the eastern wild turkey inhabits the eastern half of the United States, from the East Coast through the Midwest to the Great Plains states. They are found in 38 states in total.
Florida Wild Turkey
The Florida wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo osceola) is found only in the state of Florida. It is a non-migratory subspecies that lives in subtropical pine and deciduous oak woodlands, cypress swamps, saw palmetto flatlands and tropical hardwood hammocks.
The Florida wild turkey nearly went extinct in the early 20th century due to overhunting and habitat loss. Conservation efforts helped reestablish this subspecies throughout the state of Florida. Today they number around 100,000 birds.
Rio Grande Wild Turkey
The Rio Grande wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia) inhabits the southwestern and central United States. It ranges from California and Oregon down through New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas to Oklahoma and the Texas Gulf Coast.
Here are the states where Rio Grande wild turkeys can be found:
| Arizona | Kansas | New Mexico | Oklahoma |
| California | Colorado | Nevada | Oregon |
| Idaho | Nebraska | Texas | Utah |
| Wyoming |
The Rio Grande wild turkey inhabits arid oak and pinyon pine woodlands at elevations up to 9,000 feet. They were also nearly wiped out in the early 1900s, but successful reintroduction programs expanded their range again through parts of their historical habitat.
Merriam’s Wild Turkey
Merriam’s wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo merriami) is found throughout the Rocky Mountains, the Dakotas, and the pine forests of the Southwest. This subspecies prefers ponderosa pine and mixed conifer forests at elevations between 5,000-10,000 feet.
The states Merriam’s wild turkeys inhabit are:
| Arizona | Montana | South Dakota |
| Colorado | Nebraska | Utah |
| Idaho | Nevada | Wyoming |
| New Mexico | North Dakota |
Merriam’s wild turkey nearly became extinct in the early 1900s, with populations reduced to around 30,000 birds limited to remote mountainous areas. Successful conservation and reintroduction programs allowed them to repopulate a significant portion of their former range.
Gould’s Wild Turkey
Gould’s wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo mexicana) is native to the sky islands and Madrean oak woodlands of northern Mexico, southern Arizona and New Mexico. They inhabit elevations between 4,000-8,000 feet in pine-oak forests.
In the United States, Gould’s wild turkeys are limited to two states:
| Arizona | New Mexico |
This subspecies has a very small population in the U.S. estimated at around 7,000 birds. Ongoing conservation efforts aim to expand their habitat range in Arizona and New Mexico.
Conclusion
In summary, wild turkeys are found across the continental United States in 49 states. The 5 subspecies each inhabit distinct regions:
- Eastern wild turkey – Eastern half of U.S. from Maine to Kansas
- Florida wild turkey – Florida only
- Rio Grande wild turkey – Southwestern and central U.S. from California to Texas
- Merriam’s wild turkey – Rocky Mountains and Southwest
- Gould’s wild turkey – Limited to southern Arizona and New Mexico
The only state wild turkeys are not found is Alaska. Habitat loss and overhunting caused serious declines in wild turkey populations in the early 1900s. Successful conservation and reintroduction programs allowed wild turkeys to rebound and expand their range again through much of their historical habitat.
Wild turkeys play an important ecological role in their habitats as prey for larger predators and in seed dispersal and vegetation management through their feeding. They are also an popular game bird for hunters across the United States. Proper management and habitat conservation are crucial for sustaining wild turkey populations into the future.
